KALAMAZOO — If two big hurdles can be overcome, Western Michigan University may be hosting NCAA regional volleyball first- and second-round matches Dec. 4-5 at University Arena.

The Broncos have to earn a spot in the tournament and Western has to be selected over several other sites that also want the matches, according to WMU associate athletics director Dave Corstange. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University also hope to host.

When WMU (16-9, 8-2 MAC West) was picked as an at-large team last season, the Broncos played at the University of Dayton. Western defeated Dayton and Tulane to advance to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Penn State in the regional semifinals at State College, Pa.

“When we went to Dayton last year and saw what it did, we all felt we could host it,” Corstange said. “We have a great facility, all the locker rooms, everything that’s needed.”

“We’re aggressively going after it because it’s good for the area and good for volleyball,” WMU director of athletics Kathy Beauregard said. “We’ve shown this year that the community and the students will support the team.”

Western also has history on its side. In 1985 in the old Read Field House, WMU hosted the NCAA Final Four. More than 8,000 came each night to see the semifinals and the championship match, won by the University of the Pacific. At that time, the attendance was a national record that would take years to break.

“The Kalamazoo area showed what kind of support for volleyball there is at those matches,” Corstange said.

This would be the first NCAA tournament to be held on campus since 1985. Because the NCAA wants to ensure that there are good crowds for the first and second-round matches, the organization waits until selection day to announce the sites.

“That leaves us about four days to get the word out if we are selected,” Corstange said. “We have had five straight matches with attendance over 1,000, and one of the possible criteria the NCAA will look at is attendance.

“Against Ohio (last Saturday), the crowd was into the match and it was exciting volleyball. It was similar to the 1980s when volleyball caught on in Kalamazoo.”

MSU ranks 14th nationally with an average of 2,256 fans per match this season and Michigan is 30th with 1,165. The Broncos are ranked 49th with 925 fans per match.